Reports swirled Monday morning, May 14, of dozens of fatalities in a clash between Palestinian protesters and Israeli Armed Forces in Gaza — a self-governing Palestinian territory along the Mediterranean Sea. The Palestinian death toll rose to 37 early Monday, according to published reports. Dozens of Palestinian protesters were killed by Israeli forces ahead of a ceremony to mark the Trump administration's decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem — a controversial move that arguably showed that the U.S. backs Israel in a decades-old land dispute between the Israelis and Palestinians.

While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Jerusalem has "been the capital of our state for the past 70 years" and "will remain our capital for all time," Palestinians view east Jerusalem as what would be their capital, AFP reported. In the late '60s, Israel took over east Jerusalem, but the occupation was never officially acknowledged by the rest of the world. President Donald Trump broke decades of U.S. foreign policy tradition of remaining neutral in the land dispute when he announced in December 2017 that the U.S. embassy in Israel would be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

“Today we finally acknowledge the obvious: that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital,” Trump told reporters in December. “This is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality. It is also the right thing to do. It’s something that has to be done.”

Broadcast news networks all over the world showed the posh opening ceremony in Jerusalem — attended by Kushner and Ivanka Trump on behalf of the White House, as well as other dignitaries like Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu — side-by-side with simultaneous violent sparring in Gaza. AFP reported that Monday was "the bloodiest day in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since a 2014 Gaza war." Thousands had gathered near the border in protest on Monday, per AFP, while smaller numbers of Palestinians approached the fence throwing rocks. Israeli snipers were positioned on the other side. The death count at the time of publication was 37, but that number is expected to rise.

The controversial move from the Trump administration provoked responses from the international community and on social media. Haaretz reported on Monday that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the move is a "reward" for the Israeli government and that the U.S. is disregarding "rights and justice" and is ignoring the international community. The rhetoric of peace and unity at the embassy's opening ceremony, juxtaposed with the images of horrific violence just miles away got some people talking.

It's unclear what exactly this all means for the region going forward. Past presidents have reportedly signaled intentions to move the embassy, but none before Trump have followed through. With scores of Palestinians killed and hundreds more wounded, I hope something is done to stabilize the conflict soon, rather than prolong it.